Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

Stephen Harper's Boastful Hockey Bet Outshone Many Other World Leader Tweets

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 28 Apr, 2015 10:45 AM
    OTTAWA — Plenty of diplomatic deals get done on the margins of global get-togethers, but one conducted on Twitter in 2014 made Prime Minister Stephen Harper a digital star among his fellow world leaders.
     
    Harper's trash-talking tweet to U.S. President Barack Obama about the men's and women's hockey finals at the Sochi Olympics was among the most retweeted missives from world leaders last year, according to the annual Twiplomacy study of online activities of global politicians.
     
    The message — "Like I said, #teamusa is good but #wearewinter. @BarackObama, I look forward to my two cases of beer. #CANvsUSA #Sochi2014" — was forwarded more than 23,000 times.
     
    "I am not surprised that the occasional fun and quirky tweets work best, but it doesn't mean that Twitter is not used for serious exchanges," said Matthias Luefkens, a digital practice director at global public relations agency Burson-Marsteller, which puts out the study.
     
    Other popular messages last year included Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's celebration of his election, retweeted more than 70,000 times; since his election in May, Modi has become the third-most followed world leader on Twitter, and currently has over 10 million people signed-up to watch his account. 
     
    The first tweet personally sent by Queen Elizabeth II, about the opening of a museum exhibition, was reposted over 42,000 times, while a message from the prime minister of Malaysia about the disappearance of MH370 was retweeted over 32,000 times.
     
    Most world leaders use the social media tools to broadcast specific messages; Harper is among many who don't generally reply when messages are sent their way.
     
    But foreign affairs departments tend to be more engaged. Canada's is among the most active, with 184 missions and heads of missions on Twitter, second only to the United Kingdom.
     
    Twitter is becoming an essential tool of 21st-century statecraft, the study says, both in terms of public diplomacy and public engagement.
     
    Former foreign affairs minister John Baird in part led the charge for Canada. After suspending diplomatic ties with Iran, Baird spearheaded a campaign to use social media to reach regular citizens of that country during its presidential election in 2013.
     
    In 2014, Canada was part of a co-ordinated campaign led by the U.S. State Department to use the hashtag #UnitedforUkraine in order to register official unease over Russia's actions there.
     
    Not to be outdone, the study noted, the Russian government started using the hashtag as well to provide its point of view.
     
    "Of course, hashtags alone will not bring back the girls from captivity in Nigeria or bring peace to Ukraine," the study said.
     
    "However, they serve as a powerful rallying cry on specific issues and causes, and help give them international recognition as a trending topic on Twitter."
     
    Harper had his own online dig at the Russian government, pointedly unfollowing its prime minister on Twitter last year. Dmitry Medvedev no longer follows Harper either.
     
    Baird stepped down as foreign affairs minister earlier this year. So far, successor Rob Nicholson has not shown the same proclivity for building a presence online.
     
    The study notes that Nicholson only follows three other foreign affairs ministers and rarely tweets himself, though the official Canadian foreign-policy Twitter account follows 47 similar departments around the world.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Friends-Of-Feathers Flock Together To Save Ducklings Imprisoned On Police Patio

    Friends-Of-Feathers Flock Together To Save Ducklings Imprisoned On Police Patio
    Vancouver's finest have hatched a plan to help 10 jail birds fly the coop from police headquarters, and everything turned out ducky in the end.

    Friends-Of-Feathers Flock Together To Save Ducklings Imprisoned On Police Patio

    Rebar Reboot? Tribunal Holds Inquiry Into Imposed Tariffs Hurting B.C. Builders

    Rebar Reboot? Tribunal Holds Inquiry Into Imposed Tariffs Hurting B.C. Builders
    The Canadian International Trade Tribunal imposed added duties and tariffs last year on rebar coming from China, North Korea and Turkey, saying the countries were dumping the product into Canada.

    Rebar Reboot? Tribunal Holds Inquiry Into Imposed Tariffs Hurting B.C. Builders

    Federal Pipeline Regulator Asks Public To Guide Emergency Plans For Oil Spills

    Federal Pipeline Regulator Asks Public To Guide Emergency Plans For Oil Spills
    VANCOUVER — The chairman of the National Energy Board says the regulator has been "too conservative" in demanding information from oil pipeline companies and is moving to bolster disaster cleanup plan requirements.

    Federal Pipeline Regulator Asks Public To Guide Emergency Plans For Oil Spills

    RCMP Arrest Suspected Thief After Coquitlam Car Chase In Stolen BMW

    RCMP Arrest Suspected Thief After Coquitlam Car Chase In Stolen BMW
    Mounties say they attempted to stop the 2015 BMW X3 in New Westminster but the car sped away and was involved in a minor crash.

    RCMP Arrest Suspected Thief After Coquitlam Car Chase In Stolen BMW

    Winnipeg Police Looking For 'Person Of Interest' In Deaths Of Two Street Men

    WINNIPEG — Police in Winnipeg have removed trash bins from a downtown alley  as officers investigate the weekend deaths of two men who spent much of their time on the streets.

    Winnipeg Police Looking For 'Person Of Interest' In Deaths Of Two Street Men

    Bail Hearing In June For Two Montreal Teens In Terrorism Case

    Bail Hearing In June For Two Montreal Teens In Terrorism Case
    El Mahdi Jamali appeared before a judge in Montreal this morning, while Sabrine Djermane was represented by her lawyer.

    Bail Hearing In June For Two Montreal Teens In Terrorism Case